Effectiveness of Essential Oils from Clove and Cinnamon in Controlling Stored Product Mite, Suidasia pontifica Oudemans

Abstract

Acaricidal activitity of essential oils from clove (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M. Perry) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum bejolghota (Buch.-Ham.) Sweet) against stored product mite, Suidasia pontifica Oudmemans was investigated by using fumigation method and compared with standard eugenol. The bioassay was applied in knockdown chamber sized 2.5.10⁴ cm³ and 3 ml. The fumigating time was 1 h and mortality of mite was observed at 24 h after treatment. The essential oils of clove and cinnamon were highly toxic to the S. pontifica, at 1.20 µg/cm³ they showed 95.4 and 93.0 % mite mortality, respectively. As for evaluation of LC₅₀ values of 0.419 and 0.467 µg/cm³ were obtained, respectively. The standard eugenol was extremely toxic to the S. pontifica, at 1.20 µg/cm³ it showed 100% mite mortality with LC₅₀ 0.378 µg/cm³. The composition of clove and cinnamon oils was analyzed by capillary gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS). A major component of clove oil was eugenol (97.100 %) with small amount of trans-caryophyllene (1.685%), and compounds from cinnamon oil were the main eugenol (82.054%) followed by trans-caryophyllene (3.798%), 2-methoxy-4-propenylphenyl, acetate (3.533%) benzyl benzoate (3.515%), trans-cinnamyl acetate (1.846%) and cinnamaldehyde (1.515%). The effectiveness of that plant essential oil in controlling S. pontifica was relative to eugenol content.